“‘Partly by messengers and partly by signals. The signals, however, are very few, and are made with a lantern. If the lantern is moved up and down it means that more pressure is needed on the stream; if it is moved horizontally it means that less is needed; and if it is swung around in a circle it means “take up,” or stop work altogether.’
“‘What does the whistling of the engine mean?’
“‘It means that they need more coal. They take with them fuel enough to last them half an hour, and by that time the coal-wagons are due.’
“‘Do you ever have any difficulty with your men on the score of cowardice?’
“‘Not any; but I have a world of difficulty in the other direction. The ambition, rivalry, and esprit du corps of the force are so great that I have the greatest difficulty in restraining the men from throwing away their lives in the most reckless manner. If I ever need to have a man go into a very dangerous position all I have to do is to send two there. As soon as they start each one insists on going a few feet farther than the other, and the result is that both of them become willing to walk into the fire. There is also very little shirking in the force. Once in a long time a man gets suspected of shirking, and the way that is cured is, he is given the pipe to hold at every fire, and four men are put behind him to shove him in.’
“‘What are the greatest obstacles to be overcome in extinguishing a fire?’
“‘Smoke and hot air. I have known the air in burning buildings to get so hot that two inhalations of it would kill a man. As to smoke, we use a kind of respirator; but it doesn’t do a great deal of good. Our main hope is in ventilating the premises and letting out the smoke. If it wasn’t for the smoke it would be very easy to put out fires.’
“‘Do you find that a fireman is short-lived?’
“‘I can’t say I do. So far as I can see they are a healthy, long-lived class, when they don’t get mangled and killed at their work.’”